Articles of interest from the Fairfax County Park Authority

Tag Archives: Frying Pan Farm Park

What’s your position on chocolate? How about coffee, blueberries, apples, almonds? If you are in favor of eating – and I believe that most of us are – then you are a natural fan of pollinators. Three-quarters of the plants on earth, one-third of human food, require animals such as bees, butterflies, flies and beetles for pollination, the process by which plants develop seeds and reproduce.

Large farms may bring in truckloads of honey bees to help to pollinate their crops, but on a small farm like Frying Pan Farm Park, native bees – which are better at pollinating plants than honey bees – and other insects are essential to the success of the crops. Native bees need our help. Disease, loss of important habitat like meadows, and widespread use of pesticides threaten their survival.

So, starting in July 2012 a team of people from Frying Pan Park, the Fairfax chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalist program, and representatives of the Virginia Native Plant Society and Earth Sangha designed, planted and is now caring for a special garden around the park’s Dairy House. The garden includes plants important to bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects: goldenrods, beebalms, milkweeds, and many more.

I’ll be writing regularly about pollinators and the pollinator garden at Frying Pan Park. The next article about the pollinator garden will highlight milkweeds, a family of plants essential to the life cycle of one of our favorite butterflies, the monarch. Until then, I’ll be in the garden, so come visit!

Maybe you have seen them over by the cow pasture or have seen the smoke cloud indicating the beekeeper is in. Maybe one of the “residents” has buzzed past you.

The beehives at Frying Pan Farm Park don’t get a lot of visitor attention, and it’s no wonder; bees are bees! But the bees and their beekeeper at Frying Pan play a vital role in the community and on the farm.

John Fraser from Highland Honey and Apiaries in Northern Virginia has been tending 10 to 15 honeybee hives at Frying Pan for about eight years. A fourth-generation beekeeper, Fraser and his family preserve traditional, small scale beekeeping where all the work is done by hand. Beekeeping once was a common part of small Virginia farms. In Frying Pan’s heyday, there were more than 100,000 hives kept on Virginia farms. Now only a handful remain in the county, making Fraser’s beehives an integral part of the authentic, working 1920s-1950s era farm.

Although most beekeeping techniques and equipment in Virginia have been the same since about 1870, there have been changes to adapt to new diseases, parasites, and predators. In the late 1980s, a destructive mite from China killed numerous wild honeybee colonies in the U.S. Since then, farmers who need honeybee pollination have depended on beekeepers like Fraser who maintain hives and protect those hives from the mite. Without his stewardship, Frying Pan’s honeybees might not survive to provide free pollination services to all the yards and gardens near the beeyard, including some of Frying Pan’s crops.

Fraser says Frying Pan’s beeyard is surrounded by many areas within a three-mile radius that contain trees such as tulip poplar and black locust, bushes such as blackberry, wildflowers such as dandelion and milkweed, and planted lawn trees such as apples, pears, linden and plums. Frying Pan’s location near woods and meadows from Dulles Airport, as well as all the clover in the pastures at the park, provides a very balanced diet for the bees. “We harvest once per year and benefit (as do the bees) from the tremendous variety of bloom,” he says. “This is called a ‘wildflower’ honey that contains no large concentration of any one nectar.”

Rare comb honey sells quickly.

Fraser’s family business sells two types of honey, both available for sale at the Frying Pan Farm Park Country Store. Comb honey is cut directly from the frames that hold combs in the hives and placed in jars filled with liquid honey. Beekeepers don’t often make comb honey since it involves removing some of the bees’ valuable real estate. Comb honey is rare and usually only available immediately after the mid-summer harvest. According to Fraser, Highland’s comb honey “is snapped up by savvy buyers as soon as it hits the shelves.” More regularly available for sale is liquid wildflower honey, which is extracted by spinning an entire frame of honeycomb and then coarse-filtered.

“We are very appreciative of the opportunity to keep bees at Frying Pan Farm Park,” says Fraser, “and to have a chance to display a live hive at the Spring Farm Day and the 4-H Fair, and on other occasions throughout the year. We hope that all the people who support the park by purchasing honey at the County Store will also take the time to walk through the park and enjoy the natural beauty – and wave at the beehives. If you see me there, in a white suit and a cloud of smoke, you can wave at me too.”

If you are looking for something to do with your toddler that doesn’t involve a long drive, is free (or inexpensive—ok cheap!) and big on a wow factor for the little ones, Frying Pan Farm Park is a winner for families.

As a working parent and a member of the Park Authority Board I know that free time with your little ones is precious. Like most families, my husband and I try to make the most of our weekends with our two-year-old son. We have made Frying Pan a once a month “go-to” destination for our family since our little guy was just a few months old.

While the Park Authority has many outstanding facilities throughout Fairfax County, I think Frying Pan is one of the top destinations for families with young children. In my opinion, a visit to Frying Pan is perfect for a toddler’s schedule (as a new mom I quickly learned that the daytime window to get out is limited to the time they wake up in the morning until lunchtime which is generally followed by a nap). As such, the morning hours are perfect for a visit to the farm because the animals are very active. You on the other hand may need your cup of coffee to stay awake!

I’ve found that springtime at Frying Pan is very special and the farm is full of surprises to delight little ones. New baby animals are born nearly every month with February through May having the most deliveries. On a recent visit we were able to see and photograph lambs, piglets and a calf. Seeing these animals up close never fails to delight and interest our little boy. Not only does he get to see these very social animals up close, but he hears the sounds they make. Children learn more about the sights and (yes, smells) of the farm each time they visit. Since the animals are cared for and handled by our amazing staff and dedicated “Friends of Frying Pan Farm Park” volunteers regularly, the animals are gentle and friendly to all. Simply put, getting close to the animals brings the farm to life for the youngsters who visit.

This working farm is home to cows, sheep, pigs, rabbits, goats, a horse, ducks, turkeys and even peacocks! Your little farmer-in-training can even test out the miniature stationary tractors. The park is a year-round destination. During warmer months you can enjoy wagon rides and an old-fashioned carousel. When it’s really cold outside you can drop-in at the visitor center to learn about the history of the farm. You even have the chance for a lesson in milking a cow at 4 p.m. When it’s warm, little ones can watch the farmer milk a real cow in the barn.

If your little farmer is especially energetic after viewing the animals, take him or her to the playground down by the Country Store and carousel. There are two spaces for play, one for toddlers and another for older children. There are also benches for grownups to sit back and relax.

We enjoy our frequent visits to Frying Pan. It has become a special part of our lives and in the life of our son. I hope that you will make it a special part of your life as well!

Here are some of my Mommy DO’s and DON’Ts for visiting Frying Pan with your toddler or little one:

DON’T stress about parking. There’s plenty of parking that’s close to the action (unless there’s a big special event). No need to stress about long walks and you don’t have to haul a diaper bag along because the car is never far away.

DO bring rain boots for lots of puddle splashing (especially after rain or snow). Puddles are half the fun!

DO bring an extra jacket (sometimes it gets windy on the farm and the temperatures can feel cooler).

DO bring a change of clothes. There are lots of opportunities for kids to get dirty!

DO take a picture of your little one on the mini tractors!

DO take photos of the animals. These are a great teaching tool for your kids when you get home.

DO bring a snack (there are lots of picnic tables and places to sit, have a snack, and talk about the animals with your children).

DO bring hand-sanitizer (as if you don’t have 12 bottles stashed in your bag already!) It’s always good for cleaning up afterward. If you forget, there are hand-washing stations throughout the park.

DO try the carousel or the wagon rides when they are operating. They are LOADS of fun!

DO visit the country store. After seeing the chickens you can swing by and pick up some farm fresh eggs and make a tasty omelet for dinner or breakfast the next day!

For more information about Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon, visit their website.

Back in 1998, after a tree fell onto her Kidwell farmhouse office, Frying Pan Farm Park Historian Yvonne Johnson (now park supervisor) was working in a temporary office in a construction trailer. One day Debbie Billodeaux, a woman with a Louisiana accent and a little dog named Missy, knocked on the trailer door with an idea to allow musicians to gather and play on the front porch of the new Country Store. Johnson loved the Acoustic Jam idea and thought the sessions might draw a handful of people; however, in less than a year, 20 to 40 people were showing up to play at each jam.

Since then, visitors have enjoyed Acoustic Jams every month, as friends come together in a warm, friendly setting to play harmonies on string instruments such as guitars, banjos, mandolins, dobros, fiddles and bass. According to Johnson, a couple hundred visitors might see the musicians play on a nice day. “It was so gratifying to see the response from the visitors,” Johnson said.

Billodeaux’s dream of having a place for musicians to play and introduce music to new audiences is still going strong. The park celebrated its first “Jam-iversary” earlier this month, marking the fifteenth anniversary of the jam with cake, speeches, camaraderie, and, of course, music. Looking back, Johnson said, “Debbie came up with a great idea that improves visitors’ experiences and doesn’t cost the park anything. Over the years, the jams have touched the lives of thousands of people.”

Here is the history of the Acoustic Jam, in Debbie Billodeaux’s own words.

“The Acoustic Jam started out as a once-a-month jam on the third Sunday of each month. I was inspired to start the jam when I saw the Country Store being opened up at the park in the spring/summer of that year. I thought this would be a perfect place to jam and, I must say, very convenient for me as I live close by. I liked jams because I could play with others, learn new songs, and the flexibility of a jam worked well with my busy schedule. At the time I was going to the CABOMA jam (Capitol Area Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association) in Arlington. Yvonne and I talked about how a jam would work and also be reflective of how people historically enjoyed music in a rural farming community. We intentionally set the Frying Pan jam up on the third Sunday so it would not interfere with the CABOMA jam in Arlington (second and fourth Sundays).

“The first jam was attended by less than 10 people, but it grew steadily. It was usually bigger in the summer when people can be outside. The early jams were at the Country Store, which is near the playground, and it has always been interesting to see how kids react to live music and seeing a variety of instruments close-up. In the early years, my guitar teacher at Chantilly Music, Bill Suter, would often suggest that his students get out and play with other people. He would tell them about the jam and a dozen or more people came from his referral. I often send out an email reminder to those at the jam reminding them of the jam date and also telling them about other events and jams in the area. Jim Norman is a local resident and dobro and bass player who attends the jam, and he pushed for us to increase it to twice a month. In March 2002 we began holding jams twice a month.

“The park staff typically will ask if there are a couple of people that can play music at the Farm Harvest Day or an event for the Friends group, and so we typically do that once or twice a year. Several years the jam has been the closing act on the performance stage at the 4-H Fair. Sometimes a picture of those performances showed up in a newspaper. The Frying Pan Jam was featured once as the cover story on the Herndon Connection. Through the years we have had a couple of people that show up to listen on a regular basis. Margaret and Ben Peck are in that group and I have a good picture of them sitting on the porch one sunny afternoon. There was another older lady who came regularly often requesting certain songs. She grew up in West Virginia and had heard many early country legends sing as a child. She was a music fan and she would have her husband drive her over. When he was too old to drive, they would have friends bring them. I do not know her name, but I took a picture of her and a friend and gave her a copy.

“We have had a couple of professional musicians stop by. It is a real treat for us. We have quite a few people that are in now or have been in regional bands. We have had a number of people that have met others at the jam and then formed small bands. We also have a lot of beginners so there is usually a big mix of experience at the jam.”

Acoustic Jams are held semi-monthly at Frying Pan Farm Park on the first and third Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.

Written by Matthew Kaiser, Fairfax County Park Authority deputy public information officer, and Debbie Billodeaux, volunteer and park neighbor.

Births of animals at Frying Pan Farm Park are publicized and celebrated, but not all of the births in the park take place in the barn. There are Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) hatchings in nest boxes around the park, and sometimes the newborns are known only to the staff and volunteers who monitor those boxes.

There weren’t a lot of them around during the Great Depression. Bluebirds weren’t common in the 1930s. The usual problems — habitat loss and the introduction of non-native competition –depressed their population. The European starling and the English house sparrow, both aggressive species, competed with bluebirds for nesting cavities.

But people liked them, even crooned about them. Dame Vera Lynn sang about bluebirds over “The White Cliffs of Dover” in 1942. “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” with the line “Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder,” won the 1947 Academy Award for Best Original Song. “Bluebird of Happiness,” recorded in 1945 by tenor Jan Peerce, was a worldwide hit.

More empirical, but just as romantic at the time, were bluebird enthusiasts. These folks installed and monitored nest boxes, and bluebirds recovered. We still use nest boxes, romantics that we are, to support the Eastern bluebird population in Fairfax County.

You can see bluebirds at Frying Pan year round, often near the park’s upper horse ring or the stormwater pond. During the spring and summer, they nest in cavities in trees and in the nest boxes. The small size of the entrance hole in the park’s 13 bluebird nest boxes keeps out the larger starling, and the monitors remove house sparrow nests to discourage them from using the boxes. The starlings and house sparrows still nest at the park in the farm yard. The bluebird boxes welcome all native species and are used by tree swallows, Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice, house wrens and others. You can learn more about the boxes and how they work by finding the display box along Frying Pan’s wagon ride path near the visitor’s center.

The bluebird monitors keeping an eye on those flirting birds in the boxes are park staff and volunteers with the Virginia Bluebird Society (VBS), a 17-year-old non-profit that promotes bluebirds and other native cavity nesters. Information about bluebirds, their nesting habits and how the monitoring program works is on the organization’s website. VBS is working to establish a statewide network of bluebird trails. Here’s what they learned by keeping count last year.

In 2013, 29 bluebirds and 19 tree swallows were born and fledged from the Frying Pan boxes. July’s hot weather seemed to discourage the birds, which may be why this total of 48 birds was down a bit from the two previous years (56 birds each in 2011 and 2012). The numbers fluctuate naturally, and the drop in 2013 is not a concern. It’s still a nice total, and it’s still fun to look for the bluebirds when you visit the park.

The number of bluebirds fledged in 2013 in monitored nests across Northern Virginia was up 2.2 percent from 2012. That’s 3,603 birds successfully raised from 56 monitored nests. In 2012, monitors logged 3,523 birds fledged on 49 trails, up from the 2,974 birds fledged on 47 trails reported in 2011 data. The numbers recorded by the monitors annually since 2000 are on the VBS web page.

Two paired boxes are located behind the observation tower on the south side of Huntley Meadows, and the others sit near the hike/bike trail on the northwest side of the park. The CGS hosts five boxes that overlook a well-kept lawn in contrast to the park boxes, which are located in open but typically overgrown meadows. All boxes are equipped with predator guards as prescribed by the Virginia Bluebird Society.

The VBS trains and organizes volunteers to monitor the nest boxes. If you are interested in becoming a monitor, contact VBS president Carmen Bishop. Many of the trails in Fairfax County are monitored by teams of four people, and there is a need for volunteers.

A reminder: it is important that people not open the boxes unless they are a trained monitor. Opening a box that holds nestlings age 13 days or older might cause them to fledge prematurely. Monitors keep records, so they know when and which boxes to avoid opening. The birds generally are pretty tolerant of monitor visits, but not endlessly so. Too much disturbance can discourage them from nesting. For visitors not part of the monitoring program, watch but don’t touch. Enjoy a walk along a bluebird trail, and enjoy the results of the monitors who are trying to keep Fairfax County blue.

Author Carmen Bishop is the president of the Virginia Bluebird Society and a former Fairfax County Park Authority employee. Co-author David Ochs is the Park Authority’s Manager of Stewardship Communications.

Have you ever dreaded a day because you fear change? You have something great, but it has to leave, and you are not sure if you will like the replacement. A year in school, a new teacher, a boyfriend or girlfriend. How often was your fear replaced with gratification, and you even had trouble remembering why you were worried?

Years ago, when I began working at Frying Pan, there were eight Belgian Draft horses walking those fields. Kidwell Farm housed two aged mares named Kit and Kay. All the other horses were their offspring. There was a huge, light blonde gelding named Dusty, his younger brother Sam, and a cousin named Pete. Their color favored toward sorrel with white manes and tails. They had two younger sisters, Sara and Leigh. Kay was nursing a young gelding named Major when I arrived.

Over the next couple of years, for a number of reasons, the demonstration farm sold all the males and kept the team of mares and the team of fillies. Kit and Kay performed traditional work and powered interpretive wagon rides. They were huge draws, especially during special events. There were several attempts to train Sara and Leigh to eventually replace their mothers; however they just couldn’t be trusted in a public atmosphere under harness. Some said they were spoiled, and others said they were just too ornery. They were eventually sold to another farm, and Kidwell Farm faced a dilemma.

The farm needed a new team.

Kit and Kay were Kidwell cornerstones and beloved by thousands. They were valuable for routine farm tasks and special events; however they couldn’t perform in a routine and continual manner. They were forced into retirement and landed out west on another farm. Sarah and Leigh were still on hand, but more for show than work.

The task of finding another team that could perform so many duties with a staff of people who didn’t grow up working draft horses on a regular basis seemed impossible. Staff traveled through three states and looked at a dozen teams of multiple breeds — Belgians, Clydesdales, Suffolks, and crosses.

Some could pull hayrides well but couldn’t do field work. Some were great except in public. Some teams had one horse that was calm, well trained and could do everything, but its partner wasn’t as good. I remember traveling through the hills of West Virginia and viewing the most beautiful team you ever saw, but they scared me to death, and that was on their own farm. We saw one team with a lame horse. The farmer told us that would get better. We didn’t think so.

My biggest concern was finding a team that would not get spooked. I wanted them bombproof, a term used in the equestrian world to represent an extremely calm horse that can handle any surprise.

I got a call from someone in the Virginia Draft Horse Association who told me there was a team in Manassas we should see. Honestly, I thought Manassas? How would a decent team of horses be in the urbanization of Manassas? They were geldings, about 15 years old, and Percherons. I’d never worked with Percherons, and we wanted to stick with Belgians because the park had had success with them. However, I didn’t want to seem unappreciative, so I said we’d go take a look.

A few of us travelled to Catharpin, near the battlefield in Manassas, and arrived at a small farmette with some paddocks, a barn, sheds and a nice house. We saw some ponies and a few riding horses. As we met with the farmer, he showed us two large, solid black draft horses with little stars of white hair in the middle of their faces. Jesse and Michael. The farmer told us that you could only tell them apart by the gray hair around Jesse’s nose. They looked very healthy and in great shape. They were comfortable with us walking around for close inspections and petting them. I picked up hooves, and the horses cooperated. The farmer told me they were named after Jesse Jackson and Michael Jackson. Jesse was more muscular and a little heavier than Michael. Michael was taller, better balanced and better looking.

The farmer hitched them up and began answering our questions. Jesse and Michael came out of the hills of Tennessee, had done some logging and farm work, could plow, rake, hay, disk fields, and had occasionally pulled hayride wagons. If they had a problem, it was that they were almost always trained better than their drivers. My ears perked when the farmer said he took them to the annual Christmas parade in downtown Manassas – a public experience.

The horses didn’t move as he harnessed them up and connected them together. As he drove them out behind the barn, the farmer said he loved them but needed to sell them because he was losing some acreage that he used for grazing. He hitched them up to a wagon that he used for the parades and drove us out to a field, telling us stories about Jesse and Michael. We came to an open gate and a few feet of dirt road, then nothing. You couldn’t see anything. The road disappeared. As we neared the entrance, I saw the road dropped sharply about 100 feet. It was an old dirt path crossed with windy ditches of obvious erosion. My fellow Frying Pan staffers looked at each other. Nobody spoke. We were thinking, “What is this nut going to do with us?”

The farmer talked on. Jesse and Michael started down the hill. We held on. Then, something amazing.

A team of horses is the “stop and go” of a wagon ride. They’re the engine. The team works side by side and even with each other. But this was beyond just working side by side.
As they began to go down the hill, Jesse and Michael swung their butts out and away from each other, stretching the harnesses out as far as they could. They turned their backsides out so far they were looking at each other. Then they sidestepped all the way down the hill, controlling the wagon speed. Our eyes were bigger than the ones on the horses. The farmer said he didn’t train them to do it, it was just their instinct.

I started thinking that I bet they’re not as good in public situations as promised. As we came to the end of the field, the farmer said we’d go back to the barn. Again, we looked at each other and wondered about climbing the huge hill we’d just descended. Instead, the farmer pulled up to busy Route 234 where cars were crossing the horses’ faces at about 60 miles per hour. The horses just stood there. Then a slap of lines on their backs, and the team pulled out onto 234 in a gap between cars. Our mouths looked ready to catch bugs. The horses started trotting and remained under great control. Cars flew by, cars turned, cars passed us. Jesse and Michael could not have cared less.

I was sold.

Michael and Jesse arrived at Frying Pan shortly after Sara and Leigh departed. The public instantly loved them, and the horses became famous. We worked together like I had driven them for a long time. Michael loved to start off fast. I would hold him back for about 10 minutes until he calmed. Other times I would let him trot to burn that energy off a little, although that may not have pleased his partner. Jesse was calmer and conserved his energy. About a half hour into their work, Michael would drop back and Jesse would wind up pulling most of the load. I often wondered if they spoke about that back in the stall. I learned a lot about teamwork from watching those guys.

Draft horses Jesse and Michael after a December 2009 blizzard.

Years went by, so did wagon rides, demonstrations in the crop fields and thousands of hands rubbing the long faces of these gentle giants. As they aged, the team went into a semi-retirement. They would get hitched up for special occasions and events, and each December they’d pull Santa around with anxious kids and their parents. One year, Jesse decided he was done providing that service, and he made that decision in the middle of a ride. I could not persuade him to finish. I disembarked the wagon and led the team back to the barn. They never pulled Santa again.

The last public time Jesse and Michael were hitched was in 2010 to haul some dignitaries around the site as Fairfax County Park Authority celebrated its 60th anniversary. The boys didn’t pull a wagon again. They went into retirement and were often the first things people saw as they arrived at the park. They remained some of the very few animals referred to by name rather than species. I am sure there are more pictures of Jesse and Michael than of any other feature at Frying Pan Farm Park.

I visited Jesse and Michael in the late summer of 2013. Surpassing 35 years of age, Jesse resembled an old man with muscle tone absent and simply not looking as tall and powerful as before. Michael still looked in great shape with his body confirmation still intact. His eyes weren’t as clear as they once were, his face had some grey, and veterinarians had told us there were internal concerns.

As when anyone or anything gets older and is no longer with us, we feel sad. I was, that day. But I found myself remembering all that these guys had done for thousands of people over the decades. They were an era of Frying Pan Farm Park, a huge part and attraction to the site during a burst of park visitation and growth.

In my 22-year park career, including days at Frying Pan and now at agency headquarters, I have had hundreds of great days. But the best days are by far the ones spent behind the butts of those gentle giants. Taking Jesse and Michael out to the field to work or driving them on the road for a wagon ride for the public, I felt like the type of farmer my dad and his dad were. Those days allowed me, for a while, to make my life journey parallel that of my father, grandfather and my heroes. So I thank Michael and Jesse for that and for so much on behalf of thousands who forged their own experiences because of the team. I am proud to say that I was the first person to drive those horses at Frying Pan Farm Park and the last one to have them in harness there. Drive on guys, you will be missed.

The Friends of Frying Pan Farm Park and the Fairfax County Park Authority are saddened by the passing of Michael, one of the park’s Percheron draft horses. Michael was 34 years old and died on September 12, 2013. Michael was born in Tennessee and moved to Virginia in the 1990s. Michael and his teammate Jesse came to Frying Pan Farm Park in 1999. Since their arrival, they provided wagon rides and farm demonstrations. Michael was an integral part of our educational programs and both were popular additions at special events. Michael and Jesse were often the first and last stop for many of our regular visitors, and some of the few farm animals that were known by name.

Michael was considered by the staff members as a very powerful, athletic, attractive horse with high-quality confirmation. He was extremely well-trained and could perform a variety of farm and park tasks whenever asked. He will be greatly missed.

The staff, the people who take care of the animals on a daily basis, our volunteers, and park management share the public’s concern over Jesse’s well-being during this period of adjustment. The staff will be working with the park’s Friends group, veterinarians and equestrian experts to assist Jesse in this transition as needed.